We’re going to be talking about this critical City Council race a lot, so we might as well start this weekend. Here are the three ballot statements filed by what I think all should agree are the three leading candidates: Jordan Brandman, Duane Roberts, and James Vanderbilt, respectively in red with a little blue in it, socialist pink, and Navy blue. Your comments below are of course welcome; I’ll withhold mine for now so as not to dominate.

NAME: JORDAN BRANDMAN AGE: 38OCCUPATION: Local Businessman/EducatorThe neighborhoods of Anaheim City Council District 2 have been neglected for too long. We’ve borne the brunt of years of misguided leadership from City Hall and need a fighter who will guarantee our community gets its fair share of resources.

If elected, I will:

Honestly address homelessness by first demanding that other Orange County cities do their part. We deserve to have access to safe, well-maintained parks and public spaces.

Bring back higher-quality retail, dining, and entertainment options. New developments must meet our community’s standards. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to drive down the street to a Trader Joe’s? I think so.

Fight to repeal the fee hikes the current City Council recently imposed to use parks, libraries, and community centers. As wealthy as Anaheim is, we shouldn’t have to pay more to use our taxpayer-funded facilities.

Let’s make Anaheim an even better place to live, work and raise a family. I ask for your vote.jordanbrandman.com(714) 287-8062

NAME: DUANE ROBERTS AGE: 51OCCUPATION: Teacher
I have lived in West Anaheim for almost 50 years and am aware of the many challenges our community faces. As councilmember, my priorities will be keeping neighborhoods safe, cleaning up our parks, fixing deteriorating roads, and making this city an affordable place to live.

Local Roots: I attended elementary school, played little league, helped with my family’s business, and worked at my first job for the City all right here in District 2. I’ve lived nearly my entire life in Anaheim.

Dedicated Leadership: Representing District 2 residents as an Anaheim City School Boardmember 2004-2014 and as your elected Council Member since 2014. I also served as an Anaheim Planning Commissioner and Community Service Board Member.

Integrity: Honorably discharged Military Veteran who served our country overseas. I have protected taxpayers with the lowest office operating costs of any City Council Member.

This is your Weekend Open Thread! Talk about that, or whatever else you’d like to, within reasonable bounds of decency, decorum, and discretion. (Maybe not “discretion.”)

About Greg Diamond

Somewhat verbose worker's rights and government accountability attorney, residing in northwest Brea. General Counsel of CATER, the Coalition of Anaheim Taxpayers for Economic Responsibility, a non-partisan group of people sick of local corruption.
Deposed as Northern Vice Chair of DPOC in April 2014 when his anti-corruption and pro-consumer work in Anaheim infuriated the Building Trades and Teamsters in spring 2014, who then worked with the lawless and power-mad DPOC Chair to eliminate his internal oversight.
Occasionally runs for office to challenge some nasty incumbent who would otherwise run unopposed. (Someday he might pick a fight with the intent to win rather than just dent someone. You'll know it when you see it.) He got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012 and in 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002.
None of his pre-putsch writings ever spoke for the Democratic Party at the local, county, state, national, or galactic level, nor do they now.
A family member co-owns a business offering campaign treasurer services to Democratic candidates and the odd independent. He is very proud of her. He doesn't directly profit from her work and it doesn't affect his coverage. (He does not always favor her clients, though she might hesitate to take one that he truly hated.)
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)

15 Comments

“We’ve borne the brunt of years of misguided leadership from City Hall”

True, that, Jordie. About 14 years’ worth.

But what business did Brandman ever run? The only thing I can remember is milking Daly $25,000 for an unnecessary, plagiarized report he never finished. Otherwise he’s been “employed” as a lackey for various Democrat politicians. As far as being an “educator” I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s competent to teach a three year old.

“We’ve borne the brunt of years of misguided leadership from City Hall”

Yeah, most notably under his watch, from HIM. So like with Medieval leeches, the alleged fix to a failed remedy is an increased (repeated) dosage ? I think not.

I’d like to hear the answer to WHAT will fund the fee-hike waivers, Police hiring,( and things he FORGOT to mention, like pension underfunding, ARTIC deficit) etc.? Certainly NOT Amusement Taxes, waived for over 30 years by HIS VOTE

Anaheim needs LESS of Brandman, not more, and District 2 (Waiting 2 years to vote for ANYONE, NO THANKS to HIM ) doesn’t need ANY !.

Oh, and even AFTER the recent re-negotiated settlement reduction between SCE and ratepayers on San Onofre closure costs, SCE customers in cities OUTSIDE Anaheim will STILL be assessed part of the shutdown costs well into the future. Anaheim exited San Onofre years ago and PREPAID into a shutdown account for its share of costs, so that difference by itself should always KEEP Anaheim rates lower, in addition to which Anaheim as OC’s 1st ? /2nd? largest City should have economy of scale pricing available to it, so should claiming to ” work to keep rates lower” when they should be that way structurally by themselves, take its place next to ” helping the Sun rise and set reliably every day “??http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/sd-fi-songs-settlement-20180726-story.html

Something has occurred to me: if one’s plan for addressing homelessness is to “first demand[] that other Orange County cities do their part,” given that “we deserve to have access to safe, well-maintained parks and public spaces” (both of which seem fair to me), — but then saying nothing else on the topic, then if other cities are not likely to do their part, isn’t this a pledge to do nothing about homelessness?

It would seem that “I pledge to do nothing about homelessness until other cities do their part” would be more straightforward. Are the two statements equivalent?

Whatever led you to expect “straightforward” when the word “lobbyist” is spun into an 18 word title?? You are more familiar with this City and this Candidate than that ! Just add it to the “wouldn’t it be great ?” make-a-wish list (and this is Anaheim ! -don’t forget to keep clicking those ruby slippers together, no matter how many pairs you wear out !)

Uh — what 18-word title? And the word “lobbyist” only appears on this page in your comment and this reply to it? I agree about his wanting credit for an item on his “wake-a-wish” list.

As a Wizard of Oz fan, I have to note that Disney gets no credit for “The Wizard of Oz” and its ruby slippers (Silver, in the book, but changed to take advantage of the then-new Technicolor..) That would be MGM., though the rights are now owned by Warner Brothers. And now back to politics.

Per my reply to your question of Cynthia in the County wide filings article- from the website linked in the “Statement” from the table there-
…currently a……. vice president at a local public policy and strategic government affairs firm focused on economic and infrastructure development……”
Did I miscount ? Any idea about the name. or just “three guesses and the first two don’t count ” ?

David Zenger

Posted August 12, 2018 at 8:47 PM

A vice president? That nebbish couldn’t run a lemonade stand. And it doesn’t make him a businessman, just another dweeb looking for his main political chance. Rather pitiful if you think about it.

Greg Diamond

Posted August 13, 2018 at 12:31 PM

I believe that he is nominally a “Vice-President” for a small company. (A “do-nothing” VP? Perhaps.) The question that could conceivably come to court in a ballot designation challenge is whether that makes him a “Local Businessman.” Do you know how that term is technically defined in election law? While you’re looking: how much substitute teaching does one have to do before one is entitled to call oneself an “Educator”?

(That we’re talking about astonishing bad faith here is a given, and no surprise.)

Greg Diamond

Posted August 13, 2018 at 12:03 AM

OK — I was looking for the word “lobbyist” and didn’t find it there. I get it now.

I don’t think that the identity of the firm it’s what you probably think it is. Stay tuned.

*Obviously, there should be a Homeless City Council Member Assigned from each City
in the County to jointly address budgetary and policy questions. These folks should meet
with two members of the Board of Supervisors on a bi-weekly basis. After each meeting
each member should report back to their own cities and the two members of the Board of Supervisors….meeting with the rest of the board…..to quantify results and be accountable for all budgetary implementations.(Like how much was spent for Portable Toilets?)

Excellent sarcasm, when one considers WHAT will fund all those new reporting layers requiring paid staff face time, for info that should or be able to exist on the expensive County IT infrastructure that WE ALREADY PAY FOR, which is probably $$$ that would otherwise pay for ACTUAL ASSISTANCE. IF we even have a functioning County IT infrastructure. Good one;

*Yeah, everyone wants to go to their own favorite restaurant to run things….we get that. We have your hefty Budget “right here” and it is being spent on Angel Dogs on the Terrace All Star level….along with the concurrent membership to the Stadium Club! They can probably squeeze that meeting in during the 7th Inning stretch…ya think?